Soccer/Football

8 or More Years of Contact Sports Linked to Parkinson’s-like Symptoms in Study

Athletes playing contact sports for longer than eight years are six times more likely to develop Lewy body disease — a neurodegenerative disorder causing Parkinson’s-like symptoms — compared to those playing football, ice hockey or boxing for fewer years, a study reports.

Its authors suggest that years of continual injury to the brain, rather than those causing concussions, might be a determining factor.

The study, “Lewy Body Pathology and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Associated With Contact Sports,” was published in the Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology.

Mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI), like concussions, that occur during contact sports are a growing health concern.

Playing contact sports for multiple years — regardless of concussion history — is already associated with brain imaging abnormalities. Consequently, players are considered to be at an increased risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and parkinsonism.